Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow
by Hawki
Summary: AR Story: Few of South Island's residents entered its jungle, and as Sonic discovered, for good reason. For there are many words, many zones, and as fast as light travels, the dark will always be there to meet it. And under the trees, darkness dwelled...
1. Prologue: Heart of Darkness

There are many worlds.

Not worlds as in planets or moons. _Worlds_. Dimensions. Zones. Alternate realities. Terms as many and varied as the inhabitants that dwell within them. Worlds. Side by side...pieces of creation between the void...light in darkness.

Yet even within these worlds, the darkness came first. As fast as light travels, the dark is always waiting for it.

And sometimes, the darkness moves from one world...to another...

* * *

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow**

**Prologue: Heart of Darkness**

He had heard the call...and he'd answered.

It might have seemed odd for a mobian, Overlander or...well, anything with a degree of sapience to see Flicky Bluebird standing on the ground, on the edge of the jungles of South Island. Why, someone would ask, was he standing there? Why would a mobian of the sky not be a bit closer to his natural habitat? And why was he on the edge of the jungle, staring at it? Why not dwell in the Green Hills, or the beach further south of them? Why...well, that was just it. Why? A question that dumb-founded organics and according to science fiction movies, could send computers into a system crash.

Flicky didn't know. Didn't know any of it. Didn't know why when he'd entered the jungle a week ago that he felt the urge to stay there. Why even now, a week on, he felt the urge to return. And in regards to actually being on the cusp of carrying it out, of entering the domain of that which was calling him...well, even if a proverbial computer survived a proverbial meltdown (not that the bluebird truly understood what either of them were), he doubted an answer could be provided.

_Sonic might know the answer...or Scout..._

The bluebird sent those ideas flying back to the surf. Sonic had enough problems right now, not the least of which was the incident with Doctor Kintobor-an incident that Flicky didn't fully understand, but was willing to take on faith that it was best not to be discussed. And Scout the Mockingbird...well, she'd run off with someone called Dill. And that was all Flicky knew or cared about.

Apart from the call that was...

Tightening his beak, and wondering what it would be like to have teeth so that he could clench them together, Flicky took the plunge. The flight into the unknown. His feathers ruffled, his usually pink cheeks darker, he made the flight of faith. Into the jungle. Into the call. To find the source of the splinter in his mind, and the means to remove it.

_Welcome._

The jungle was...dark. Darker than usual. Flicky had been in here a few times before, and talked to his fellow birds that frequented it, but even so, he hadn't expected it to be like this. Tall trees, fighting for the right to receive the touch of sunlight, even at the cost of their fellow sentinels of wood. Down below, tiny plants...cut off from the sun by the above canopy, struggling in the dark...just like the bluebird that flew above them, drifting from tree to tree, listening to the deafening sound of silence.

_Can't...breathe...should go...back..._

_Coward. One foot in the grave, pulling you in...you will need both to get back out..._

Feet...such a strange way to move around. The air...so thick and dense...a suffocating shroud of oxygen, nitrogen and a dozen other gasses that he breathed in every day.

But maybe it wasn't the air that was suffocating him. Maybe it was from breathing in the darkness...

Wishing he had feet like Sonic or any mammalian mobian as much as he wished that he had teeth right now, Flicky kept going. Flying from tree to tree...flying through the dense air...weighing down from him, as if it were part of the judgement of a vengeful god. Not Aurora, nor any being that might reside in the sun...he was beyond both of their domains, despite being noon and the sun being at its highest. Shining above a world that he no longer felt part of...he was in a world of silence now. For all intents and purposes, another zone...whatever that was. Another thing in the realm of physics that Flicky barely knew of nor understood.

_There is so little you understand._

And then it began.

The bluebird flew to the next branch, unable to stop himself. But he did stop nonetheless...stop in mid-air. Stop then and there, finding himself embracing the coolness of Mother Earth that bore him. Yet now, on the cold floor of the jungle, in the strangling silence, he felt like a bastard child of that which bore him. Or had the nature of such conception been...altered?

_Help...me..._

_You're not a cat...but curiosity will be the death of you. _

Flicky struggled to get up, struggled to fight against inevitability. Yet he couldn't. The air, the darkness, the silence...it closed in around him, the trees spinning around his eyes, reminiscent of the bars of a cage. He couldn't sweat, not being a mammal...but he was as close to the motion as possible. As close as he was to the...thing...coming out of the gloom. Demon or angel, friend or foe...struggling against the oppression, it meant little.

_You're not the one I wanted. But it matters little. He can't ignore the call much longer._

And then it happened. The only thing that Flicky the Bluebird, struggling to keep conscious, could do...

...scream.

* * *

_A/N_

_The full story behind this...story is on my homepage, but I think it behoves me to lay out the basics here. This was the last story I concieved under a multi-verse premise, before forsaking said premise and writing for individual _Sonic the Hedgehog _settings. In regards to converting multi-verse stories to said settings, _Friendship _had already been written while _Transgression _was made an Archieverse story, with this one following on from both of them _(and _Of Rodents and Rings, but that's on the backburner). Here however, I settled on making this story AR (as opposed to AU...yes, there is a difference), serving as a vague continuation from _Friendship, _but mainly stand-alone. Elements of _Transgression _remain, such as Flicky actually hearing the call originally in this story's predecessor rather than the first time as portrayed here. And...yeah, think that covers it._


	2. Call of Darkness

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow**

**Chapter 1: Call of Darkness**

The longue room was good for lounging.

It wasn't entirely a given of course. After all, a drawing room was practically the same thing as a longue, yet one didn't draw in it. The longue however...well, that was something the five year-old hedgehog had found out for himself. Never mind running across South Island as fast as his new sneakers could carry him. Never mind playing with Muttski on the beach, making sure to keep as far away from the water at all times. No...right now all Sonic wanted to do was use the longue for what it was made for. Lounging.

And if Uncle Chuck didn't like him doing that, then tough.

"Sonny boy, I know this is hard on you," the elder hedgehog said, carrying around a big cardboard box as he did so that made his statement seem a bit redundant. "But there's nothing for it. We have to-..."

"Fetch boy."

Throwing a wet and slightly mauled tennis ball to the other side of the empty room, Sonic watched as Muttski bounded after it, using far too much speed in comparison to its distance. Speed was something that the young hedgehog was an expert on after all. That, and ensuring that he didn't have to lift a finger in this screwed up scenario that he'd found himself in.

"Sonny boy, I told you not to throw-..."

"There's nothing in the room, Muttski isn't going to knock anything over," Sir Charles's nephew murmured, taking back the tennis ball from his dog's overly moist jaw and giving it an even further throw. "You know, with everything being _packed _and all."

Chuck opened his mouth...then closed it. Maybe he had nothing to say, maybe he knew that nothing he could say would make the situation any better. Regardless, his nephew didn't care. There was nothing he wanted to listen to and in the oft chance he did listen, it wouldn't change anything. Nothing would.

Sonic and Chuck had been on South Island for over a year. Free from the hustle and bustle of Mobotropolis, free from the Great War, free from anything and everything that could hurt them. In that time, Sonic had made friends, lost one of them and seen the island as far more of a home than Mobotropolis ever could be. He loved the Green Hills, with everything from their endless green grass to the 360 degree loops that only the most insane (or brilliant, depending on your point of view) architect could have built. He loved being able to make friends with Overlanders that _weren't _trying to kill him. He loved...well, everything about it. And now, thanks to some bigshot in Mobotropolis, that was all coming to an end. Chuck was being recalled. And despite having had his fifth birthday not too long ago, Sonic was coming along for the ride.

Maybe Kintobor had been the beginning of it. The first loss...leading to a larger one...

"Sonny boy, I know where you stand on this..." the hedgehog heard his uncle say, walking through the longue with yet _another _cardboard box. "But the fact remains that we're leaving tomorrow."

"Then I'll make the most of today."

"Yes, you will. By clearing out your own room and-..."

Chuck shut up at that point. Such things tended to happen when one's nephew through a tennis ball at them.

Ignoring his uncle's mutterings along with his dog, the young mobian squirmed at how...hopeless it all seemed. Chuck had said he didn't want to go, but that didn't mean he was actually going to _do _anything about it. No...just go with the flow, do what the mobian told you to do and if you didn't like it, tough.

_I could run away..._Sonic thought blissfully, an image popping into his head of him running off into the sunset. _My new sneakers will last forever...and there's plenty of places to hide...the jungle for instance..._

_Then why don't you?_

Ignoring the voice of his conscience, Sonic gazed out the window, its sill as bare as the rest of the house. It faced north, much to his pleasure, or at least what amounted to that emotion these days. True, looking at the sea was fine, but the Green Hills were...well, the island's _soul_...whatever that was.

_Then why don't you find out?_

Sonic told his conscience to shut up. It was as bad as Chuck, always butting in and reminding him of inevitability.

_Nothing's inevitable._

...alright, this was getting weird.

Sighing, and deciding that not even a chilli dog would be enough to get him out of his mood right now, Sonic walked over to the window. Lounging around had lost its appeal-comfortable, but it was still the longue of a prison. Chuck was too busy kow-towing to authority and Muttski was still being a dog. A slobbering, stupid dog that Sonic had no time for right now. He wanted more. _Deserved _more. And over the hills but not too far away, where many mobians liked to play, was the solution.

_Over the hills and far away? Man, I've gotta stop watching those cartoons..._

_I agree._

Well, at least he and his conscience agreed on something. About the only thing Sonic could agree with right now.

_That's nice...and in if you pop out for a bit, it would be so much nicer..._

Yeah...Sonic could agree with that. Chuck had told him to pack, but hadn't specified when that had to happen. Apart from that, he was under no other orders, whether it be staying in the house or doing homework that had been blissfully non-existent for the past year. For the rest of today at least, he was free. And, as the thought of running along one of those arcs formed in his mind, Sonic was quite inclined to give into such temptation.

_Then why not do so?_

A rare smile coming to his lips as he vaulted out the window, the hedgehog saw no reason at all.

* * *

A few hours and a few more loops later, Sonic had come to a startling revelation-the Green Hills weren't all they were cracked up to be.

It was a surprising revelation, and the mobian had refused to accept it at first. But after his seventh loop, after his fourteenth floating platform jump, after his twenty-first leap across a crumbling cliff, it had become clear that the area no longer presented a...challenge. It was fun, true, but now, a year older than when he arrived here, it seemed that the Green Hills were even further from being a primary colour than they were before. Not that he'd have them any other way though, but...

_Okay, bad metaphor._

Sighing, Sonic lay down on the grass, picking at it idly. A year ago, he wouldn't have even known what a primary colour or metaphor was. Gone were the days when Flicky could find any and every reason to insult his intelligence. He was growing up. Even on South Island, where time might as well have stopped altogether, the hedgehog could feel himself growing. Physically, as his stunts and demonstrated, and more eerily, mentally. And he knew, he reflected, as he squinted at the golden orb that was the sun, that it wasn't entirely pleasant. A year ago, he couldn't have understood why he and Chuck had to move back to Mobotropolis. Now though...well, as much as he hated the reasons, ranging from "R&D" to "strategic defence," he still understood them. Understanding was the opposite of ignorance. And whoever had said that ignorant was bliss, Sonic reflected, might have been on the money.

But there was something else. A yearning. A desire. A...need. For something more. For challenge. For adventure. To...push the boundaries. Boundaries that simply didn't exist in Mobotropolis and as far as the mobian could tell, didn't exist on South Island either. Not anymore at least. They hadn't existed since Kintobor broke them.

_Or did I break them...?_

Sonic shivered, despite the warmth of the sun and wind. Even now, the Overlander's ghost haunted him. He hadn't told his uncle what happened and even Flicky only knew the generalities. And that, Sonic reflected bitterly, was already knowing too much.

_And maybe that's why I need to push the boundaries, to break out of my cell. So I can forget what was in the cell I was in previously..._

_Or maybe you need to break them because of who and what you are. And maybe you haven't searched anywhere yet..._

Sonic sprang up. His conscience was getting out of hand. But as he rose to his feet, as his gaze lingered northwards, he had to admit, it did have a point. Or rather, had done point_ing_.

Or maybe it was just that South Island's jungle couldn't be ignored.

Walking towards the trees, as if drawn to them as surely as gravity made objects fall back to Mobius, the gears of Sonic's mind began churning, recommencing the production of trains of thought. At platform 1 was the realization that he'd never actually been inside the rainforest. Chuck had forbidden it from the outset, and with the beach and Green Hills providing more than enough entertainment initially, the scientist's nephew had never been tempted to enter. At platform 2 was the second realization that as far as he knew, none of his other mobian friends had been in there either bar small forays. He supposed there was good reason for that, but as the train on platform 3 pointed out, he was a year older than when he first arrived. He was allowed...no, _entitled _to push the boundaries. To be who and what he was. To boldly go where no mobian had gone before and reap in the recognition as a result.

_Sounds like a great idea._

Breaking out into a smile as he entered the jungle, Sonic found himself agreeing with his conscience completely.

* * *

Hook, line and sinker. They weren't needed. The hedgehog had flopped up upon the rocks the being resided on and was practically begging to be gutted.

_He couldn't resist the call...and I didn't even have to provide bait._

He one he sought had entered his realm. His target. Not birds, not plants, but a hedgehog. The one he desired. The one who wanted to break the boundaries, not knowing that he was the one who would be broken. Shattered. Destroyed.

The being would set the boundaries...and he would crush his foe within them.


	3. Depths of Darkness

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow**

**Chapter 2: Depths of Darkness**

The jungle wasn't what Sonic expected.

Then again, he wasn't sure what to expect. He'd never been in it before, none of his friends had been in it and while he'd seen a few pictures of jungles and rainforests in picture books and more recently, comics, he was well aware that art rarely imitated reality. Heck, if that was the case, the South Island's beach would have three metre tall waves around the clock with scantily clad female mobians left, right and centre...or something. Chuck hadn't wanted him to look at that magazine for some reason.

_But he didn't want me to come into the jungle either...so what does he know?_

Only how to be spineless and not stand up for himself when it came to moving back to Mobotropolis. SO no...as far as the young hedgehog was concerned, his uncle knew nothing.

Right now, standing within what had been forbidden, Sonic supposed he already knew more than Chuck. Unlike the images he'd seen, this jungle was dark and silent, with no plants springing up towards a sun with a rainbow in the background, nor were there birds and lizards on every tree and fern. The first difference, he supposed he could understand, given how thick the canopy was. Faint rays of sunlight filtered through-a stark contrast to the seemingly perpetual sunshine of the Green Hills. The trees here...so close together, whilst Sonic was used to them being spaced further apart at intervals almost as regular as those 360 degree loops. Plants were clearly dominant here. And the mobians, let alone dumb animals on the same level of intelligence as Muttski, were non-existent.

_Maybe the mobian-eating plants got them..._

Or not. Because somehow, even the plants seemed subdued. And as he drew in the cool, murky air of this world, Sonic could understand why. The air here, without wind or the smell of salt that he was used to...it was...oppressive, somehow. As if it was suffocating the local flora like a weed, after proving poisonous to the fauna. And whilst Sonic wasn't sure whether flora meant plants and fauna meant animals, or whether it was the other way round, the point remained. Up until now, no-one that he knew of had been in this jungle. Up until now, he'd obeyed his uncle's wishes that he stay clear of it. And right now, Sonic was beginning to understand both aspects as to why this place seemed so deserted.

_Kintobor might know..._the hedgehog thought glumly, his spirits becoming as grim as this manifestation of a florist's worst nightmare. _He could take out some gizmo and..._

His train of thought became as non-existent as the wind. Kintobor was gone. That was all there was to it.

_No there isn't._

Scratch that. His conscience had spoken again. Irritating jerk.

_Don't you want to go where no mobian has gone before? To push the boundaries? To show your uncle you needn't bow to his wishes?_

Sonic remained silent. Not that there was anyone or anything around, but even then he'd give up eating chilli dogs before he started speaking to himself. And with that silence, and the silence of what felt like another world, his conscience therefore had free reign.

_Just a bit further. You won't be able to come back here again. Not for a long time. Maybe never..._

That was true. All of it was. He only had the rest of today to savour what South Island had to offer. For the past few years, that had only been its beach and the Green Hills. And if Mobotropolis was fated to be his setting from tomorrow onwards, the least he could do was widen his experience.

_Good for you._

Silently, Sonic began moving forward. Not running, not jogging, just walking. As silent as this realm and as deliberate as whoever had built the loops in the Green Hills. And, as he moved deeper and deeper into this dark realm, almost as insane as well.

_This is crazy..._Sonic thought, hardly able to believe he was trying to reign himself in. _I've flown over the cuckoo's nest..._

Or not. There were no birds here, not even as he moved further in. No wind. Not even light. Just the dark, the damp and the suffocating air. Not literally suffocating of course...perhaps..._smothering _was the better term. It was closing in on him, slowing him down. Sonic could feel it, as sure as he could feel the wind in what felt like a realm away. Even the trees seemed to be closing in. Even as he stood still on the path...

_What's a path doing in an untamed jungle anyway?_

"An excellent question...yet you're only asking it now?"

_Oh great, my..._

Sonic's thought stopped along with his motion.

His conscience didn't speak. Not out-loud anyway. And his conscience _certainly _never laughed like a cackling devil, its sound reverberating through the trees as if they were the walls of a cave, providing an echo. Yet as Sonic spun around, desperately trying to find the source of the laughter, he supposed he effectively was in a cave. A cave closing in on him, from above, below and from beside.

"To think it took me this long to draw you in..." the voice continued, coming from both nowhere and everywhere. "You sought the scientist out...yet I had to pose as your very mind to take the next step."

"What...I don't..."

"Know?" the voice sneered. "Of course not. You know nothing. You know nothing of the world, nothing of _my _world and despite what you may be telling yourself in order to not break down like the child you are, you know nothing of _me _either. Nothing of the paradox...of an inferior being giving rise to a superior one."

He was right. Sonic didn't know. And right now, as the hedgehog spun around, as he felt faint and ill like he'd come down with the flu, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

He wasn't sure of anything right now.

"What...are you?" Sonic managed to ask.

"I am what you created. Or was it Kintobor? I'd ask him if that was possible."

Sonic's heart skipped a beat...which was the last thing he needed, considering how difficult it now was to get oxygen into his bloodstream seemingly. The arteries were cowering, the veins were taking a day off and his lungs were protesting at these grotesque working conditions. Right now, Sonic couldn't blame them. Mentioning Kintobor was liable to have that effect.

"The Retro Orbital Chaos Compressor..." the voice sneered. "A quest to rid Mobius of evil via the seven Chaos Emeralds. Hubris at its finest."

"Don't...talk..."

"He tripped...he took that egg you wanted him to chuck instead of doing it yourself...laziness sabotaging brilliance..."

"Shut...up..." the mobian whispered, his head pounding from both the voice and the lack of blood reaching it. "Just...shut..."

"The ROCC went the same way as the doctor's life...you saw the body. A mercy, really. It's more than what many other worlds recieved from that incident...repeated a thousand times, always with similar results...I'd say you were lucky...but you're not...the evil went elsewhere this time."

Evil...Sonic felt surrounded by it. Funny, really, that this...thing should mention the word. After all, Kintobor had been working on sealing Mobius's evil away in the seven Chaos Emeralds and bar the grey emeralds, had almost succeeded. But with the ROCC destroyed...

_Oh no..._

"Yes," the voice sneered, speaking the gospel of the damned. "I'm the...'evil', as you call it. Abaddon. I am what should have gone into Kintobor, but was instead made manifest in a different way. "I am a monument to his sins, and your shame. I am what the incompetence of you both has brought into the world. And now, with Kintobor dead, only you remain to put my creation to rights."

And then it happened. It happened to Sonic's horror. It happened to Sonic's dread. It happened as the air around him moved away, coalescing into a cloud of fire, with a smell like sulphur. His conscience...this being...the voice had seemed to come from all around him because it _was _all around him. Or rather, it had been. Right now, it was all in front of him.

"Greetings, little hedgehog," the demon sneered, or whatever he was. "You'll be seeing Kintobor soon...one bad egg...to join another."

And then, right now, in this moment of space, time and dimensions beyond his comprehension, Sonic the Hedgehog did the only thing he could do.

Run like hell...away from Hell...

* * *

Three minutes and thirty torn branches later, Sonic was still running. Running from Hell, yet still in its deepest circle.

Or something like that. All he knew of "Hell" was something he'd read in a comic once and it barely sustained his interest. Yet from what he had picked up, Hell was supposed to be a place of fire and brimstone. A place from which you couldn't escape. And right now, pursued by this...Abaddon, he supposed that summed up his situation perfectly.

_Spent all my life running...but never _from _something..._

"Keep running hedgehog," the voice whispered-vocal, but more like what the hedgehog had once assumed what was his own mind. "Even at your speed, you can't outrun inevitability."

Gritting his teeth, his heart pounding for reasons other than the flow of blood, Sonic ignored him/it. There was at least one improvement in his situation, in that it was no longer difficult to breathe. Now was hardly the time nor place to think about it, but he supposed the dense air may have been this thing all along, that he could breathe freely now because the creature had coalesed into a single mass.

_Chuck could explain it better...or Kintobor..._

Vaulting over a fallen log, only to hear the creature smash through it behind him, Sonic briefly cast his mind back to the human scientist. A scientist who'd wanted to seal evil away for good, yet had given rise to this thing. It seemed as farfetched as the idea of sealing evil away in the first place, but how else could Abaddon have known? And if it had come from the Chaos Emeralds...then who was to say what kind of power it had?

Sonic looked back to check...and seeing the burning gas closing in on him, devoid of physical form, he put on the juice to ensure he wouldn't find out.

"Run run run as fast as you can," Abaddon cackled. "You can't escape me, I'm the..."

"Gingerbread man?"

"I have no need for rhymes. Nor jokes."

"Bummer."

Humor was a wonderful thing. But not as wonderful as staying alive. Or, the means to do so, namely getting away from this beast. But as fast as Sonic could go, Abaddon could keep up.

_I thought I was the fastest thing alive...but is it even living?_

Some perverse part of the hedgehog was enjoying this. Most of him however still wanted to avoid being incinerated. And racking his brains, he realized how to. Throughout all this, Abaddon had matched his speed. But what if he could match his agility? Approaching another fallen log, Sonic decided to find out. This time, he didn't vault over it. This time, he jumped on it and sprung up to the upper canopy.

"Tarzan, eat your heart out."

Jokes aside, the mobian didn't stop. Jumping, swinging, he made his way through the trees. Glimpsing back down below, he saw the creature following. Or more specifically, smashing down every tree, plouging through the rainforest in order to reach his target.

"Pal, I hope you're going to use some of that for lumber."

Abaddon didn't answer. Shame really.

The hedgehog wondered why Abadon didn't float up like gas normally would. Was it that he couldn't? Did his concentrated form keep him grounded? Sonic didn't know. But as he swung and jumped through the trees at a rate that almost gave his running speed a...run, for its money, he knew that it was working. Abaddon's roars and the sound of splintered wood were fading. He'd escaped...or nearly had. Because as he came to rest in a tree, as he felt silence descend over the jungle once more, Sonic could sense that he'd only brought himself time. He'd lost the jailer, but he was still in the jail.

"So, he lured you in too did he?"

And, as he turned to see the last person he expected, the mobian realized that he had a cellmate.


	4. Storm of Darkness

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow**

**Chapter 3: Storm of Darkness**

Sonic had been surprised a few times in his life.

The first surprise had occurred a few years ago and was pretty much synonymous with him reaching the mental stage where he could appreciate what a surprise actually was. The surprise that came from being able to run tens of kilometres per hour and the knowledge that he was the only thing alive that could do so. A surprise that was dampened by Chuck telling him to keep his speed to a minimum lest he go through a pair of sneakers every month, but a pleasant surprise nonetheless.

The second surprise was his stumbling upon Kintobor's lab a few months ago. A surprise not as pleasant as his discovery of super speed, but a pleasant one nonetheless...initially at least. Kintobor had given him sneakers that could withstand his speed, and Chuck had thankfully either accepted his flimsy explanations or turned a blind eye. But like all things good, it couldn't last, and Sonic had recieved his third surprise via the ROCC in a most unpleasant way. Almost as unpleasant as what had happened to the good doctor...

A few minutes ago, his fourth surprise had occurred. The revelation that it wasn't his conscience speaking to him, egging him on into the jungle, but rather something that was out of a nightmare, a comic book or something...or somewhere...else. A surprise that had been just as horrifying as the third surprise. A surprise that he'd barely escaped from, let alone survived. A surprise that had led to his fifth surprise...for a few seconds ago, someone had said "so, he lured you in too did he?" And now, a few seconds after hearing those words and finding their source, Sonic was still dealing with surprise number five.

After all, the last person he'd expected to run into here was Flicky Bluebird.

"Flicky?" the hedgehog asked softly, staring at the ruffled avian. "Is that you?"

"No, I'm another bluebird who looks exactly like Flicky," Sonic's fellow mobian murmured, his eyes fixed on the forest floor and his wings wrapped around him like a cloak. "Use your head."

"I would..." Sonic grinned, glad to see that imposter or not, Flicky was still alive in spirit at least. "But that sounds like too much effort."

The hedgehog knew he was leaving himself open to an insult there, that he was practically begging Flicky to open the floodgates and let loose the words that would allow him to be his usual condescending self. Truth be told, it was something he wanted to happen. Because while he had no doubt that this bird was Flicky in both body and spirit, both were lacking. The former, Sonic could understand, assuming that Abaddon had something to do with it. But the latter? That was something else entirely. Something that, as the bluebird remained silent, seemed to have diminished.

Surprise number six...if he could be bothered to count anymore.

"Flicky..." Sonic began, kneeling down on the branch so he could meet his friend's gaze, even if it was fixed on the jungle floor. "What...what are you doing here? I thought you stayed clear of the jungle."

"Did...not now. My mistake."

More silence followed, barely broken by the sound of faint wind and even fainter rustle of leaves. This place, this ecosystem of darkness...it was becoming like a tomb. And Flicky was almost ready for it.

_And me...if I don't find out what's going on...provided I'm not cremated instead..._

"Flicky..." the hedgehog said, this time a little more forceful than his previous attempt. "You said that 'he lured you in too.' What...what did you mean by that?"

The bluebird remained silent. And there was no wind or leaf to break it.

"Did he call you?" Sonic continued. "Whisper in your mind? Egg you on? Did he-..."

"No, he didn't!" the bluebird snapped, raising his eyes, barring his beak and briefly spreading out his wings in the style of the Dark Bat whenever he descended on a villain. "He was calling to you! He was _always _calling to you! The only reason I was here is that I caught part of the conversation! The only reason he chased me is because he had nothing better to do! The only reason I'm in this mess is because of _you_!"

"I didn't ask for this."

"Oh yeah? Well neither did I!"

Both mobians fell silent, Flicky caught up in anger and Sonic caught up in his own guilt. He didn't like being blamed for whoever...or whatever this thing was. Didn't like it because deep down, he knew he was responsible. The Chaos Emeralds, the evil contained inside them...Kintobor had been the one to trip, but he'd been the one to hand him the egg that sent him on that fateful walk to the bin while he was at it. Flicky, and who knew how many others had suffered at this...demon's hands (if he even had hands). And whilst he could walk (or rather, run) away, not to mention Flicky's ability to fly, Sonic decided then and there that he wouldn't. Not yet at least. For now, he needed information. And as the bluebird opened the floodgates even further, his frustration replaced with sadness, he recieved it.

"I was lured in...to the heart," the bird began softly. "The air...it suffocated me."

"I know. I felt the same thing."

"He said...that he didn't want me. But that didn't stop him. He came after me...like a being of gas, but with a solid touch. I flew...flew until it felt my lungs would give out. I thought he'd got me...but he didn't. When I entered this area...he gave up. Like he was no longer interested."

Sonic was tempted to point out that Flicky could have flown upwards, but decided against it. After all, he'd run from Abaddon and until his decision to use his agility to his advantage, hadn't given a thought about where he was actually going. But even so, there was something odd. Something that he'd missed...

"And I flew up here. I've been here since yesterday..."

"And he never found you?"

"Don't know if he was even trying," Flicky murmured, briefly making eye contact with the hedgehog and making his frustration known. "He seems to want you after all. Said that 'he' couldn't ignore the call much longer. Guess you couldn't."

Indeed, Sonic couldn't...or hadn't, at least. Nor could he stop his mind's gears as they processed the scenario.

Sonic was faster than Flicky, they both knew that. True, flying through the jungle rather than running through it might yield fewer obstacles, but even so, Flicky still shouldn't have been able to match his speed. Yet Abaddon had drawn off. It might make sense if Flicky wasn't the one that he was after, but the chances of it being in the same area, round about the same time in regards to the length of pursuit...Abaddon had kept up with his primary target most of the time. How had Flicky escaped?

_Don't know..._Sonic admitted, the gears of his mind slowing down. _But me must be pretty deep in. Head a bit further west and we'd reach the river that runs through...the jungle..._

Actually, come to think of it, the air did seem a bit moist around here. And only now, that he was truly listening, Sonic could hear the faint sound of running water-an element that he despised (or compound according to Chuck...whatever that was). And that creature, its burning sulphur, its hot gasses coalesced, as if binding it together...what if it was burning literally? What if the reason it had left Sonic and Flicky alone in the same area hadn't been due to limited endurance, but due to proximity to its opposite element? It hadn't shown fear before...but neither Sonic nor Flicky had given it any reason to. Indeed, if it really did come from the power of the Chaos Emeralds and the evil Kintobor had been trying to seal in them, there'd probably be very little it _was _afraid of.

_Except maybe water...which sucks, because I'm afraid of it as well._

Sonic blinked. He'd never expected that he'd actually admit that. But then again, he hadn't expected any of this. Nor had Kintobor, he supposed. No-one had...but with Kintobor dead and Flicky having had his spirit drained, he was the only one on hand to deal with it. He wasn't forced to...he could leave here and now. Wait for tomorrow and travel back to Mobotropolis with Chuck. His uncle...who he was beginning to understand. There were all things that one didn't have to do, nor want to...but sometimes, you had to go by your responsibility.

_Alright then..._the hedgehog thought to himself, getting to his feet and ignoring Flicky's murmurs that while Sonic could leave, he wasn't going anywhere until "that thing" was taken out. _A river of liquid water, combined with a monster...time to put him on ice..._

And, if he survived this, find the time to develop some better puns as well.

* * *

Step 3-drown the monster. Step 2-lure the monster in. Step 1-find a way to do so.

Right now, Sonic felt like he'd only reached Step 0. Drawing Abaddon into a trap was sound in principle, but not only did he now realize that his trap of choice was based on assumptions, but he had no idea how to lure the creature in. And supposing that Abaddon did avoid this area for a reason, how was he going to keep him chasing his prey long enough to reach the river. And if he actually _did _reach that body of water, how on Mobius was he meant to get him in.

_Maybe I should head back to Flicky..._the hedgehog thought to himself, glancing back in the direction where the bluebird was perched. _Maybe I need to think this-..._

"Well Sonic, you're still here."

_...through._

Step 1 was complete, as was step 2. The problem was, Sonic felt responsible for neither of them. Hopefully that wasn't a reflection on his ability to carry out step 3.

"Thought I smelt you coming..." the mobian said softly, watching as the demon's cloud of sulphur took a form resembling something physical. "Smelt a bit more like methane this time though."

"Joke all you want hedgehog, you'll-..."

"What?" Sonic asked the cloud. "Escape again? I managed it the first time, as did Flicky. What, you too scared to come after us around here? Or is it that Mister Tall, Dark and Ugly needs more time on the treadmill."

Abaddon didn't answer. He/it just hovered there. Silent, foreboding, as if a guardian of a passage to something much worse. As in, the river, the mobian reflected, step 3 of his 'brilliant' plan becoming more and more foreboding.

"Well?" Sonic asked. "You going to say anything? Do anything? Or are you just as useless as the rotten egg that spawned you?"

"The egg didn't spawn me hedgehog...you did!"

And, by way of thanking him, Abaddon sent out what Sonic supposed was an arm, though physically just resembled a stream of sulphurous gas. Either way, as he jumped to one side, it was a moot point.

"I created you, you say," the mobian taunted, dodging a second blow as he did so. "The paradox of a lesser creature giving rise to a higher one. Frankly I think it's the other way around."

"**Argh!"**

Dodging the third blow, Sonic flipped up onto a branch. A branch that became a shower of splinters as the fourth blow was made, yet again failing to hit its target.

"Come on Abby, think about it. You can't get Flicky, you can't get me and all you've done so far is made it difficult to breathe. And quite frankly, your stench does that on its own."

It was surprising, Sonic reflected, how easily this creature could get worked up. But maybe that was the point. Spawned from the Chaos Emeralds, he would certainly be under the delusion of coming from perfection. And with that revealed to be not the case, his 'spawner' was the only one he could take his frustrations out on.

"Come on Abby," Sonic repeated, dodging multiple blows in succession as he used his ability to his advantage. "I don't like calling you a girl's name, but you're not leaving me much choice in the matter."

"Choice is irrelevant."

And so was the demon's lunge forward. Or, as far as gas could actually lunge. Either way, as the cloud shot forward, Sonic rode the storm away from it, flipping further backwards. Closer to the river, to his goal. To the completion of step 3.

"I know choice is irrelevant," the mobian sneered. "You've now left me no choice to call you anything _but _a girl's name."

That did it. Somehow, Sonic could sense what was happening in that cloud. He'd tipped the demon over the edge, and the sulphur was proving to be heavier than air. The beast was seeing red. And as such, it was time to lure him in.

"Well Abby it's been fun. See ya again...or not."

That was true at least. Either he'd be in Mobotropolis this time tomorrow or in a crumpled heap on the jungle floor.

As he zoomed away with Abaddon in pursuit, Sonic supposed he'd find out in the next few minutes.

* * *

"Come on Abby...you're just hitting the branches."

Or, rather smashing through them. But as he ran through the jungle, the roaring demon in pursuit, Sonic supposed the specifics didn't matter.

It had indeed been like this for the past few minutes. And while Sonic had yet to discover his fate, somehow he didn't really mind. Last time, he'd been fleeing for his life and very nearly lost it. But here, once again running from death. He felt..._alive_, somehow. This was challenge. This was the thrill of denying the odds, of pushing his speed and his soul to the limit. He felt...like this was how it was meant to be. Not exactly in form, but certainly in spirit. Demons aside, the idea of taunting a foe, of defying the odds again and again...it was wonderful.

_Now all I need is a true nemesis. Shame Abby can't be it._

Well, he could, but right now, Sonic wanted to finish this. Taunting Abaddon on his own was one thing, but there was no telling how much damage the demon could cause by itself, how much damage it had done already. No...this had to end now.

"Come on Abby, faster!" Sonic shouted, avoiding a falling tree that had been cast through the air. "The flab's coming back!"

Abaddon didn't say anything, bar his roars and incomprehensible curses. Sonic had been surprised at first as to how easy he had stayed ahead this time, but was now beginning to realize why. Last time, Abaddon had focussed on him and him alone. This time, he was ploughing through everything that got in his way, destroying the jungle for the sake of it. Combined with his rage, and he was being slowed down. Slowed down enough for Sonic to draw ahead and hear another type of roar separate from the creature's own. A roar of only one thing. A roar that filled the hedgehog's heart with both hope and dread.

_The river..._

Step 3 was nearing its moment of execution. But how to execute it? Assuming that Abaddon had avoided this area for a reason, and that his rage was overcoming his caution, the sight and sound of the river might still make him err on the side of caution. Sound might be covered already, given his roars and curses, but sight? That was something else.

And there was something else beside that. Abaddon, the beast, his nemesis...Sonic was starting to enjoy this. But water? That was something else. Something eternal. Something he feared, and deep down, knew he always would. His...kryptonon, if he remembered his comics correctly.

_I have to do it, _Sonic told himself. _The water will always be there. But if Abaddon's always here as well..._

A true hero overcame his fears and dealt with them. And whilst he was a long shot from being a hero, Sonic knew he had to follow the hero's example at least. And, remembering a scene from one of his comics, follow the example of the Rush as well.

_Or was it the Super Surfer? Maybe-..._

"Sonic, I'll tear out your heart for this!"

_...never mind._

Going faster and further, pushing the boundaries even further, Sonic zoomed forward. Right towards the river. And while nothing like the salty waters surrounding South Island, the hedgehog assumed that the soil around it would be sandy, or the next best thing. Alluvial deposits...whatever they were. Either way, the soil would be less cohesive. And if that was right, as was the Rush's tactic...maybe he could pull this off.

_And if not...well, won't have much time to worry about that._

As such, Sonic began running. Running around in a tight circle. A circle that had his feet digging deep down into the soil by the river's edge, kicking up the particles into something resembling a sandstorm. One that blocked his vision, and hopefully, Abaddon's. With any luck, the demon would plough forward straight into the river. And with even more luck, Sonic would hear him soon enough to get out of the way.

As Abaddon emerged through the sand, his gas mixing with the fine particles...it happened too soon for Sonic's liking. But not too soon that he didn't see or hear him in time to flip back over the river, landing on the other side. And watch as his foe landed in the water.

"Sorry Abby, surf's up. And you're going down.

Sonic had done it. He'd 'won.'

Admittedly that was indeed the truth. The thrashing, the screaming, the steam billowing out of the river as Abaddon lay in it...that was all genuine. Not lethal of course, nor something that would cause permanent harm. But it was as close to a victory as any of his foes had ever reached. And as such, the servant supposed he should act as such.

"You...defeated me..." the demon rasped. "You...won..."

"Yeah..." he heard the hedgehog say. "I did..."

"Kintobor...would be...so proud..."

All those taunts, pretending that they were actually getting to him...it was good to see a taunt of his own have a genuine effect.

"It's over Abby..." the hedgehog murmured, visibly emotionally strained by the mention of his friend (or mentor, Abaddon didn't really care). "What I...or Kintobor began...it ends with you."

"I suppose it does."

Evil in the Chaos Emeralds...by all the dimensions, it was incredible that Sonic had actually bought that. Well, no matter. Time to wrap up this charade and give the hedgehog what little credit was actually due to him.

"And so our paths end," Abaddon declared, preparing for passage between realities. His gas being removed from him, his body sinking into the river...Sonic would be under the impression that he'd defeated him. He wouldn't see the zone portal beneath the river's surface, nor would he ever suspect such a thing had occurred. "Fare thee well...my better."

"Your better...hell yeah..."

Oh gods, this was pathetic. Well, no matter. Abaddon had done his job. As had Sonic done his.

Yes, the creature thought as he sunk beneath the water's surface, giving his foe his 'victory.' The hedgehog had done his job and served his cause very well indeed...

* * *

_A/N_

_The river idea, bar coming from _The Minpins _(which this story was 'adapted' from, believe it or not) was actually to have its origins in _Transgression_, with Sonic being reminded of it and using the same technique he used on the buzzbombers. So, instead of being a one trick pony in the same setting, I'm a one trick pony in different settings._

_...wait, that's not a good thing. But again, adaptation. ;)_


	5. Epilogue: Legacy of Darkness

**Sonic the Hedgehog: Jungle of Shadow**

**Epilogue: Legacy of Darkness**

Chuck didn't know why Sonic had arrived home so late, nor why he hadn't said a word as to why he was late. It wasn't so much that his nephew hadn't wanted to tell him. Rather, it was because Sonic felt like he _couldn't _tell him. About Kintobor, about the Chaos Emeralds, about the evil that had spawned from them, about how he was starting to feel the first yearnings to be something more...No, Sonic hadn't told Chuck about any of this. But as Sonic had gone to his room without complaint and begun packing, the scientist hadn't made a big deal out of it. Which, Sonic reflected as he lay on his bed, suited him just fine.

It was hard to say how he felt really, about all that had happened and all that he'd done. There was no telling how much damage Abaddon had done. Destroyed trees was a certainty, but as for the number of animals that had suffered his rage, Sonic had no idea. Yet as much as his conscience squirmed at the fact, deep down, he...appreciated it, somehow. Guilt over Kintobor was fading, even after what had come from his work. Maybe Abaddon's creation was the human's fault, maybe it was his, but either way, he'd been dealt with. And maybe that was the key to...well, everything. Maybe evil wasn't something to be sealed away, as Kintobor had intended. Maybe, in the end, evil was something that was just always there, to be fought against if necessary. If duty called, just like Chuck was returning to Mobotropolis because of duty if for no other reason. Either way, Sonic respected his decision, and would go along with it.

A microcosm for life perhaps. Sonic didn't know whether Abaddon was the exception or the norm, whether the thrill he'd felt when facing the creature could be replicated. But whatever the future held, whatever challenges he might face...he'd be ready for them.

* * *

The master was pleased.

"And that was the end of it," Abaddon intoned, now in the form of a golem-his preferred appearance in this time and space. "Sonic 'won'...using the term as loosely as possible."

"Is that resentment I hear in your voice?"

"If it is, it's none of your business."

That was true, the master supposed. Abaddon had done his job well. He'd travelled across numerous worlds, across numerous time periods, repeating the same scenario over and over, with the only variations being attributed to the zone in question. For his own target, the Sonic of his world, the master knew that he'd only get one shot and that shot had to be made at the right time under the right circumstances. Every zonal doppelganger had some differences, but for the most part, shared the same psychological profile. And Abaddon's last encounter had all but confirmed it.

"Guilt..." the master began, talking to himself as much as his servant. "Easy to twist, as demonstrated by you claiming to be the result of the hedgehog's own actions."

"And Kintobor's. But without a Robotnik or Eggman in that world, someone had to be the villain."

"Do-gooder, willing to help others...I suppose interaction with members of different species isn't so much an obstacle."

"Not there...but if I understand correctly, it wasn't so much an obstacle in the past either."

The master smirked briefly at such a statement. That was true for the most part, but after the Flames of Disaster...well, anyone was willing to blame anything for the destruction, to seek an explanation even if it meant pinning it on the most unlikely of sources. His shadow had learnt that the hard way.

"My master?" Abaddon asked. "Shall I travel to another world? Or should I-..."

"No, Abaddon, you may go. You've done your job and you've done it well. Now leave the rest to me."

"As you will, my master."

The "master" was under no delusions that Abaddon would betray him if he had the opportunity. Stemming from raw force as most demons did, only his intellect had provided him with actual sapience. However, that destructive side, the yearning for power would never fade. But it mattered little and if everything went according to plan, would end up not mattering at all. Abaddon had done his job well, evaluating his master's foe without the master having to ever expose himself. He'd done the job that would allow his master to complete his own without incident.

Yes, Mephiles reflected to himself, savouring the thought of becoming one with Iblis at the time of his other half's release, of destroying the one that would make Iblis's vessel shatter. Abaddon had done his job very well indeed...

**The End**

* * *

_A/N_

_The essence of this chapter essentially remained the same as its mixed universe conception, with Sonic taking another step to become a hero. The second section originally focussed on Robotnik however-Abaddon was indeed the genuine article, and essentially set the stage for a greater evil to come. In the end though, upon abandoning the mixed universe approach, I ended up changing his motives and master, tying in with Mephiles. Guy's creepy and manipulative enough to fit the bill I guess._

_And by way of more shameless plugging, I have three more _Sonic the Hedgehog _stories on my 'to write' list at this time of posting-_The Mobius Chronicles _(a collection of short stories), _Heads or Tails _(a novelization of the _SatAM _story of the same name) and _Mystic Isle_, which is what I'm writing now and serves as an interquel to _Sonic and Knuckles _and _Knuckles's Chaotix_. After writing for Sonic for all this time, I guess it's only fair to give his monotreme counterpart a share of the spotlight._


End file.
